EFFECTS OF VACUUM CONTROLLED STATIC VERSUS VACUUM CONTROLLED DYNAMIC DRY CUPPING ON PAIN, RANGE OF MOTION AND DISABILITY AMONG PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN

This randomized controlled clinical trial aims to compare the effects of vacuum-controlled static dry cupping and vacuum-controlled dynamic dry cupping on pain intensity, lumbar range of motion, and functional disability in patients with chronic low back pain. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups receiving either static or dynamic dry cupping along with conventional treatment. The outcomes will be assessed to determine which cupping technique is more effective in improving pain, mobility, and functional ability in individuals with chronic low back pain.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Chronic Low-back Pain (cLBP)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Vacuum-Controlled Static Dry Cupping; Other: Vacuum-Controlled Dynamic Dry Cupping

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: SHOAIB WAQAS; Phone Number: 03024552109; Email: shoaib.waqas@ubas.edu.pk
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Khizra Hamid; Phone Number: 03154425879; Email: khizra.hamid@ubas.edu.pk

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
      • Sehat Medical Complex
      • Contact: Zain Abbas, MSPT; Phone Number: 03348082223; Email: zain.abbas@uipt.uol.edu.pk
      • Principal Investigator: Arooba Hassan, MSPT

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 30 to 40 years. (21)
• Both male and female genders (15)
• Patients experiencing LBP with a score of at least 3/10 on the NPRS (22)
• For more than three months (22).
• Individuals whose workstations have not been ergonomically designed and who have not previously received structured ergonomic interventions related to workplace layout, task design, or load modification also involving home tasks and daily activities. (31)

Exclusion Criteria:

• * Subjects with lower body condition (i.e., spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, or intervertebral disk derangement) (15)

  • Subjects with a history of cancer (15)
  • Subjects experiencing referred leg symptoms (15)
  • Subjects with any current local or systemic infections, vascular disease, including varicose veins (17)
  • History of spine surgery or spinal tumor (17).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Static Dry Cupping; Participants in this group will receive vacuum-controlled static dry cupping applied to the lumbar region. The cups will be placed on specific points over the lower back and kept stationary for approximately 10 minutes per session along with conventional physiotherapy management for chronic low back pain.	Other: Vacuum-Controlled Static Dry Cupping; Vacuum-controlled static dry cupping will be applied to the lumbar region of patients with chronic low back pain. Cups will be placed on the affected area and kept stationary for approximately 10 minutes to create negative pressure, aiming to improve blood circulation, reduce pain, and relieve muscle tension.
Active Comparator: Dynamic Dry Cupping; Participants in this group will receive vacuum-controlled dynamic dry cupping applied to the lumbar region. After creating negative pressure, the cups will be gently moved over the lower back to mobilize soft tissues along with conventional physiotherapy management for chronic low back pain.	Other: Vacuum-Controlled Dynamic Dry Cupping; Vacuum-controlled dynamic dry cupping will be applied to the lumbar region. After creating negative pressure, the cups will be gently moved over the skin to mobilize soft tissues, enhance circulation, reduce pain, and improve lumbar mobility in patients with chronic low back pain.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Intensity	Pain intensity in patients with chronic low back pain will be assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The NPRS is an 11-point scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 represents the worst imaginable pain. It will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of vacuum-controlled static and dynamic dry cupping in reducing pain levels.	Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Lumbar Range of Motion	Lumbar range of motion will be measured to assess improvement in spinal mobility in patients with chronic low back pain. Lumbar movements including flexion, extension, and lateral flexion will be evaluated using a goniometer or inclinometer.	Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Functional Disability	Functional disability related to chronic low back pain will be assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), a validated questionnaire that measures the impact of back pain on daily activities such as walking, sitting, standing, and personal care.	Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences
• Investigators: Study Chair: Shoaib Waqas, Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 9, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 9, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 9, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: UBAS/ERB/26/04/019

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No